To brand or not to brand a product placement? Evidence from a field study of two influence mechanisms of positive portrayals of alcohol in film

This is the pre-peer reviewed version of the following article: To brand or not to brand a product placement? Evidence from a field study of two influence mechanisms of positive portrayals of alcohol in film, which has been published in final form at http://doi.org/10.1111/dar.12671. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versionns"Introduction and Aims: We propose that branded and non-branded product placements in movies are interpreted differently and that a movie with unbranded alcohol portrayals influences audiences’ alcohol-related beliefs and choices indirectly, through the process of narrative transportation, whereas a movie with branded alcohol placements impacts audiences’ alcohol beliefs and choices via a more basic social-cognitive process of influence. Design and Methods: Ordinary moviegoers (N = 758) attended a showing of The Snows of Kilimanjaro (2011) in a popular theatre in Tacna, Peru. Subjects were randomly assigned to watch the original movie, with branded alcohol portrayals, or a brand-free, control version. Reactions to the movie and alcohol-related beliefs were collected in a survey immediately after the film exposure and real beverage choices were measured. Results: The findings reveal that exposure to unbranded positive portrayals of alcohol produces story-consistent beliefs and alcohol choices through the process of narrative transportation and that exposure to branded positive alcohol portrayals produces direct effects in terms of alcohol expectancies and brand choice, despite lowering narrative transportation. Although viewers disengage more from the characters, and experience lesser enjoyment and perceived realism when exposed to actual brands in a movie, they still hold positive alcohol expectancies and are more likely to select the placed brand, a process consistent with social cognitive theory. Discussion and Conclusions: The findings suggest caution about the recommended policy of removing branding from alcohol placements, such as in the case with plain packaging in tobacco, and instead call for effective policies to constrain alcohol product placement, as was done with tobacco placements.The authors wish to thank the Universidad de Tarapacá (Arica, Chile) for financially supporting the field research under Major Project No. 8745–1

Adopting AI-Enabled Technology: Taking the Bad with the Good

From autonomous vehicles to smart home assistants and telemedicine, artificial intelligence (AI) enabled technologies are increasingly available in the market. Consumers are saddled between the benefits and the risks of these new technologies, yet research has seldom accounted for both facilitators and inhibitors of AI-enabled technology adoption. We introduce a theoretical model that includes both facilitators and inhibitors of AI-enabled technologies, which we test using structural equation modeling with a cross sectional survey of U.S. consumers across three AI categories: autonomous vehicles for robotic AI, smart home assistants for virtual AI, and telemedicine for embedded AI. We also include in the model the role of brand trust. We find that perceived uncertainty, loss of control, and privacy risk inhibit intention to use AI-enabled technologies by reducing perceptions of convenience, customization, and efficiency, so facilitators mediate the relationship between inhibitors and intention to use. We also find that brand trust contributes to intention to use by positively affecting facilitators and negatively affecting inhibitors. Finally, we ran the classic Technology Acceptance Model and found that our proposed model is a better fit to predict intention to use AI-enabled technologies

The Role of Personality, Self-Disclosure, and Envy in Maladaptive Social Media Engagement

Through online social networks, individuals establish and maintain social connections to satisfy their need to belong. Recent research suggests that taken too far, one’s need to belong can increase envy and lead to maladaptive social media behavior aligned with obsessive-compulsive disorder. This study examines the role of two personality traits, one’s intrinsic need to belong and trait reactance, on feelings of envy and the self-disclosure processes that lead to obsessive-compulsive disorder on social networks. A sample of 354 U.S. adult users of Facebook completed a survey measuring individuals’ need to belong, trait reactance, envy, self-disclosure, and online social network obsessive-compulsive disorder. Regression analyses reveal that need to belong and trait reactance both independently and interactively relate to envy, and that self-disclosure mediates the relationship between envy and obsessive-compulsive disorder on social networks. Those with low trait reactance appear at the lowest risk of online social network OCD no matter their need to belong. The highest risk profile for online OCD is found in those with both high trait reactance and high need to belong. Overall, our findings support further exploration of one’s intrinsic need to belong and trait reactance as personality indicators of risk for online social network OCD

The Role of Social and Technological Predispositions in Participation in the Sharing Economy

This study contributes to the growing body of research on drivers of participation in the sharing economy. We extend the well-established technology acceptance model and include layers of personality architecture related to the social nature of these markets (extraversion) and their technology intermediation (technology proclivity). Findings from a cross-sectional survey (n = 292) show that extraversion is related directly to the intention to use sharing economy applications, such as in-home gig services, and related indirectly to likelihood to use these technologies and to engage as a provider of such services, through technology proclivity and the technology’s perceived usefulness